It has been hundreds of years since the destruction of the old world. Large cities have turned into rubble and been taken over by monstrosities created by the old war.

What remained of humanity has taken to the wilderness, where forests grew again and rivers flowed. There they began seeing and contacting strange new races. Large green humanoids known as orcs, tall and slender men known as elves, and many other less sizeable races.

Eventually, humanity regressed to the levels of ancient, iron age societies. Families turned into clans, some larger, some smaller, and clans united into tribes. The tribes formed villages in which they collaborated in order to survive in this new harsh world.

You are one such tribe, living close by pine forests and a great, wide river. You can select a boon for your tribe:

>You are close to relatively vast arable lands.>You are close to a city, where both powerful old world tools can be found, but also great, merciless beasts.>You are close to the sea, allowing contact with far away lands at a certain level of seafaring.

>>2710603Your tribe chose an area close to an ancient city, full of decaying buildings and machinery. Folklore speaks of the many riches that can be found in such places, but great danger lies in wait to those brave enough to enter the area.

The people begin settling into small huts, tents and homes. You are 150, around 15 men trained in warfare, 135 peasants skilled in various crafts. Most are young and ambitious, willing to partake in great adventures no matter the risk. The elders warn them that brashness will lead to their death.

The peasants begin to work the lands, as it is still early spring. The elder and more powerful begin analyzing the situation.

Of the 15 trained in warfare, all of them have sword and spear and shield. Mostly iron weapons and clad in good leathers.

To the north stands a large virgin forest, ripe for the taking.

In the west, hills eventually turn into mountains, with a few prairies.

In the south is poor dirt road that leads to a connection with a few nearby villages.

To the east is the great river, if it is crossed, the city would be barely a 30 minute walk away.

The people raise the issue of a government. There are a few candidates to take over the village.

>A council of elders, composed by soldiers and peasants.>A monarchy. The most powerful of the warriors rises up to claim power for his caste.>Some of the wealthier peasants take over the largest hut, bribing away the warriors from government.

Over the next few days, some of the wealthier clans take over the largest hut of the village. These clans paid off the warrior caste, each clan paying some of these into service for theirs.

The richest clans are three. The Ulveti, the Alcaza, and the Broder. They are largest in number, numbering in the tens each, but only their patriarchs have any real power over the tribe's future. They often meet to discuss plans that must be undertaken.

The names of these clans are known nearby, and their reputation makes our tribe more appealing to traders and peasants seeking an honest day of work.

As the government is settled and dissenting voices eventually go quiet, the patriarchs of the three clans convene in order to establish a base for the economy of the village.

The warriors bring a matter to the table, they say most of them sought to go on great adventure into the nearby city, and they wish to send a few men over yonder.

>Agree, send 5 men to scavenge the outskirts of the city.>Agree, send 5 men but only to scout the status of the city.>Disagree, we must not disturb the spirits of the city yet.

The peasants report that most clans are housed, some in poorer huts, some in richer ones, but all can say they have a roof over their heads. They request an operation to cut woods from the trees of the northern pine forest in order to reinforce the more inadequate homes. Yet the farming potential of this year will be undercut by this operation.

>Agree with no conditions.>Agree, but the peasants whose homes must be reinforced will have to serve the tribe in the farms for this harvest.>Disagree, all hands must be turning the arable lands into proper farms.

>>2710868The leaders of the poorer clans bow their head in agreement. They will serve in the farms as servants for the duration of the year. Though some seem disgruntled, the agreement is common and considered fair throughout your society. They began work without issue.

The expedition of five men prepared over the course of the week. Rations, weapons, hunter's traps, basic medicine. They crossed the river without much issue and headed towards the city.

As they approach, they start spotting the great buildings of old, tall and reaching to the skies. Some men say that their foolish attempt to reach the Gods brought their wrath upon them. No one can say for sure. The five warriors steel themselves and enter some downtrodden suburbs. Only the foundations of the houses remain, everything else having been scrubbed bare by time and scavengers. Deeper in the city stand the great buildings. As they walk around and search for goods, one whistles, signalling danger.

At the end of the broken road they were in stood a pack of weredogs. Larger than the mutts found in villages, but not as large as wolves. At least fifteen are approaching the band, some more ferociously than others. A larger weredog leads another two big ones closer and barks ferociously at the party. They seem relatively well-fed.

The warriors prepare themselves for a fight, weredogs can be vicious when in such large numbers.

>Smite the larger weredog and his two companions.>Retreat out of open ground and into the foundations of a broken house.>Cautiously walk backwards until the dogs relent, then continue scavenging.>Write in.

>>2710987I thought I posted>Cautiously walk backwards until the dogs relent, then continue scavenging.If they look well-fed they are more likely to leave us alone, and if we turn our backs they will most likely attack.5 vs 15 I don't like them odds

>>2711044>>2711053The men get in formation, threatening the weredogs' "vanguard" with their spears while putting their shields up. The animals snap a few times, but when they feel the cold touch of the spears' iron tips they recede slightly, though their barking is relentless. The rest of the animals begin advancing, seemingly attempting to encircle the party.

The warriors begin their retreat, thrusting towards the animals who would approach them. After a certain distance, the more cautious weredogs seem to finally give up and head back to their starting point, while the brave three keep a safe distance and continue barking.

One of the warriors mentions that they might be guarding a lair, and weredog pups are prized as protectors of houses all around the known world. They mark down the area where the dogs came from.

The men are healthy, rations aplenty, and the dogs have been chased away. Before the dogs approached, the men were able to fetch a few trinkets from the ruined houses. Mostly useless, but a way to show status.

>Continue scouting the city>Try to pick off or capture the three weredogs who split up from their pack.>Go home.

>>2711190>>2711470>>2711474After a small debate, the warriors decide to let the weredogs go back to their home. They can come back in greater numbers later, anyway. With that said, they pack up their spears and shields and head off through another path, jumping or breaking through derelict fences. The melancholic sight of the destroyed barrows brings out a peculiarly calm atmosphere around them.

Eventually, these barrows stop and now larger buildings appear, made of a strangely durable clay. Various signs seem to indicate the name of the buildings, but their meanings and letters have been lost to time. Within these buildings are hallways that seemingly held many riches of the owners, though none of them remain.

The men rummage through the buildings strewn about this large street, two stay in patrol to watch for threats (2d100) and three take care of the scavenging (3d100).

The scavengers eventually find some useful tools, hammers, pots, dishes, strange empty boxes, and cages for animals made of unknown materials. All these things could come to be useful back at home, though some men would have to dedicate themselves to carrying it. Anyhow, they were stashed and their position is marked on the map.

Outside, one of the sentries spotted something in the distance. His keen ears and eyes allowed the men to stash everything up right and group up. In the distance, a tall shadowy figure is approaching, slowly, towards the men. The warriors seem afraid, but the eldest steps forward to calm them. (1d100)

As far as you can see, the tall figure is featureless, except for its two arms and two legs. It is as if a large shadow came out of the ground and walked in large strides on its two legs, defiant against the sun. Slow as it is, it will take it a few minutes to reach the men, though it doesn't seem to have spotted them, maybe it simply has no care for them. The men could easily outpace it with a brisk walk, but this street is the safest way into the city thanks to the line of sight it provides.

The men are not in the best of moods, the shadow is making them uneasy as it approaches them. But they are healthy and ready for a fight.

>The warriors will head deeper into the city through the main street. Approach the figure and see if it's aggressive.>Engage the figure in battle and attempt to slay it.>Take the smaller, more confined alleyways deeper into the city.>Take what was scavenged and head home.

The warriors begin to panic, even the eldest who was supposed to calm them down can't hide his fear. Some sort of huge shadow beast is coming ever closer to them. Not know what it is capable of or how fast it could go if it were to detect them, all five break into a hasty retreat back into the ruined residential suburbs. The few times they look back, they see the beast staying quiet, and apparently looking at them, pouring more fear into their hearts and adrenaline into their systems.

As they arrive to the suburbs, the figure disappears from view and the warriors sit down for a rest. The weredogs can be seen in the distance, but only one seems to be on the lookout while the others lazily rest on the torn and warm black stone that forms the ground.

The men compose themselves, resting for a few minutes before heading back home empty handed, at least they have marked down the areas where the weredogs nest and the cache they made in the building.

After their return home, they tell their adventure to the tribe patriarchs, the three leaders of the wealthiest clans. Each of them propose a way to use this newfound knowledge.

>The Ulveti patriarch says the tale of the shadow must not spread to the rest of the population.>The Alcaza patriarch says the tale must be told as it was across the entire village.>The Broder patriarch suggests demonizing the beast and saying it is an enemy of the Sun, thus an enemy of man.>A young upstart soldier could suggest something else (Write in).

>>2711768After a short debate, it was decided that the warriors were free to spread the tale around the tribe. After a few days, the tribe was awash with talks of the shadow, dubbing it the Shadow Walker. Some say it is a spirit of the many who died in the great calamity, others say it is a demon who rose during the calamity and slaughtered the people of the city. The more pragmatic talk of it as another wild animal with a trick up its sleeve.

The warriors who didn't go were emboldened by the tale, though the 5 who did go would rather not take a step so deep into the city ever again. Late Spring eventually comes around, as the servant clans work hard in the fields, the other clans are working on the wood to reinforce the shoddier huts.

The trinkets and baubles that were found in the city could be used in various ways.

>Sell them to a trader passing by in exchange of silver (currency).>Let the warriors keep them as a reward.>Let the patriarchs and their clans wear and use them as a sign of status.

The Alcaza patriarch has petitioned for a raid into the city, seeking to slay or capture the weredogs, but most importantly their pups.

>Agree, send all 15 warriors to the raid.>Agree, send only half of the men, keep some for home protection.>Disagree, let the weredogs breed for another year.

Some free peasants have been arguing over the direction of the tribe's economy. Wether to concentrate on farming or instead use the western hilly prairies to raise some good livestock. Concentrating on farming could help with a severe winter, but there are few tribes who deal with livestock around, making them more valuable.

>Concentrate on farming.>Buy some livestock and prepare cottages in the hilly prairies.

>>2711891>Sell them to a trader passing by in exchange of silver (currency).>Agree, send 10 warriors to the raid, keep rest for home protection>Buy some livestock and prepare cottages in the hilly prairies.We should get our trade up and running as fast as possible so if a severe winter happens we can trade for food or supplies

Since it is spring, quite a few humble traders. One with a big mule could afford most of the trinkets and the Patriarchs negotiated with him over the price (1d100). The clans also made sure to encourage the traders to come by more often, as great riches would await them. The traders mentioned that the dirt road is in too bad a shape for other, bigger caravans to cross it.

The warriors packed up to head to the weredog lair, all 15 of them. Would you like to oversee the expedition or leave it to dice?>Oversee expedition.>Leave it to the dice (3d100).

The peasants, meanwhile, went off to trade for various livestock heads over the next few days. Since livestock is rare, most of what they got was pricey, but they were allowed to negotiate a price (1d100).

Some woodcutters have been complaining of strange sounds coming from the forest. They mention tales of capricious wood elves who steal away children, not that there's any in the tribe currently, but if it prospers there eventually will be.>Ignore them.>Give them weapons while they're on shift.>Send in a scouting party after the raid on the weredogs.

>>2713079>On the topic of discord/ twitter. I prefer using discord since it has a chat. You need an account for both anyhow, and discord has the simpler registration.You don't need an account to view Twitter.

>>2711964The woodcutters thank the patriarchs for the eventual scouting party that will explore the forest, they give their blessings and leave the hut of the Patriarchs.

Both the patriarchs and the peasants trading for livestock have met their negotiations with some manner of success. They were more or less able to balance the income from the trinkets with the silver spent on whatever few goats and sheep were available nearby. The silver supplies are still meager, but now there was livestock to eventually enrich the village.

The expedition of 15 men prepared, all gathering their belongings and whatever they thought they could need for a fight against weredogs. Mostly repurposing pieces of leather or clay as some sort of protection for their legs and arms.

By noon, all warriors were prepared and ready to march. The day was fresh and the sun was hidden behind clouds. They arrived at the city quickly and, as it was yesterday, the weredogs were laying around on the black stone. Even the lookouts seemed lazy this day, preferring to enjoy the less abusive warmth of the cloudy sun.

The eldest warrior took command, he was part of the retinue of the Ulveti, but also the candidate for the potential position of chieftain that could've been taken. Rumors tell of his regret over taking silver instead of power. He wished to demonstrate his worth to the warriors of the tribe.

>The eldest warrior wishes to head into the fight with a tight formation, chasing away the weredogs and stealing the puppies, then going back home with the puppies and leaving the weredogs to breed more for the next year.>A young warrior wishes to go in with a flexible formation, allowing the killing or capture of all the weredogs then stealing the puppies before going back home. Potentially eliminating the lair.

>>2713246>>The eldest warrior wishes to head into the fight with a tight formation, chasing away the weredogs and stealing the puppies, then going back home with the puppies and leaving the weredogs to breed more for the next year.

The 15 get into a tight circle formation, using sword and spear, they advance in unison towards the animals. The first weredogs to spot them give them a first look, then swiftly begin running towards them and barking. They are cautious about the spears now, avoiding their reach as best they can. The larger weredog and his two bigger buddies lead the rest of them, also keeping a wary distance.

When they notice how close the men are getting to the lair, they begin barking much harder, growing bolder. A few spear pokes keeps them away, but as the men come close to their dug in nest, some of the bolder animals lunge with no care for their lives. The soldiers react and try to defend those who are dealing with the puppies (1d100).

>Kill the dogs who threaten to bite.>Avoid killing or hurting the animals.

There are around 20 puppies and they've all been thrown into a bunch of sacks, it seems they've been born barely a week or two ago, a lucky find, even if they will need more care than older pups, such young animals end up trusting their owners more. 4 men will have to carry the sacks back home, losing the ability to fight.

Though it is no easy feat, the men carrying the weighty sacks of puppies can shield themselves behind their brothers. They begin advancing back towards their starting position, facing the strongest weredogs at all times. Some of them who lunge and bite nearly make it through, but the pain from various spear pokes deter them from continuing their attack. After a few tense minutes, the men reach the treeline of a small forest. Some of the weredogs begin retreating, and it isn't long before the rest of the pack follows them back.

Some three to four wounded weredogs have a harder time limping back, and get split up. With 11 men, they'd be easy pickings to take back home. If they died, their skin could be sold, even if it was punctured by a spear. Otherwise, they could be healed with enough time and investment. One of them is a female with large teats. The eldest warrior is ready to give his orders to the men:

>Bring them back alive and put them into other sacks.>Finish them off, we will sell their skin.>Let them go, we can't risk a bad bite.

>>2713792>>2713776The warriors nod and head off to do their dirty work, the weredogs are surrounded and their barking is silenced by swift spear strokes in their throats. The female resists as well, but her exhaustion is palpable, and she is quickly taken by a bulky warrior before getting stuffed into one of the bags.

The raid was quick and easy, and the men are eager as they return with their prizes to the tribe. The puppies and the female are presented to the patriarchs, who allow the preparation of a shoddy kennel to house the animals in. The members of the free Clans prepare a small shack with some hay and a little kibble to feed the weredogs. Meanwhile, the males are skinned and their skins turned into leather, while their meat is shared among the warriors who hunted them.

The Broder patriarch raises his concern over costs of raising so many puppies. They will not only need care and food, but also a good education, these are not simple dogs, they're larger and more agressive. He firmly requests that the issue be resolved now.

>Sell 15 puppies to traders to have a more manageable pack.>Spread news in other villages on our need for Weredog tamers. Claim that we will reward those who come.>We have little resources and other issues to deal with, the weredogs can wait.

Meanwhile, the warriors ask when they should send the scouting party to the northern woods.

>Prepare carefully over a week, we're in no hurry.>Be ready for tomorrow, we must see to the truth of the forest.>Do not scout, simply keep watch over the woodcutters for a while.

>>2713852>>Spread news in other villages on our need for Weredog tamers. Claim that we will reward those who come.We can trade some weredogs.Win-Win. We get them trained, and also have to feed/care for less of them

>Be ready for tomorrow, we must see to the truth of the forest.We gave our word, let's follow it, also since we had a easy raid we don't have to rest and we have that high morale right now

>>2713897>>2713911The Broder Patriarch nods in approval, though he expresses his worry on the overextension of our resources. The Ulveti and Alcaza insist that the profits will come from these investments. Peasants visiting nearby villages and traders visiting our tribe were informed of our search for good Weredog carers, offering some weredog puppies in exchange. Though no weredog tamer lives nearby, the traders have mentioned that weredog tamer clans are nomads in these parts, and young clan members with nothing to inherit often seek a tribe to settle in, wishing to start their own clans and gather fortune.

Meanwhile, the warriors ready themselves for the expedition into the woods. The eldest request a prize for their faithful service so far, and for their continued faithful service to the tribe in general.

>Promise them rich housing.>Exempt them from menial work.>Offer a gift of silver to each warrior.>Refuse their request, they haven't done enough yet.

>>2714029>>2714082The warriors approve of their prize, though the peasants are disgruntled that such capable hands will leave the fields, and are afraid of the weredogs that were captured. The Ulveti are concerned about this, and wishes to make sure that the expedition comes back with something to show for their work in order to appease the rest of the clans.

In the next day, the warriors pack up and begin their trek into the woods in search for the strange sounds. The woods are full of small branches and plants that bother the men in their way to the interior. The party splits up into various groups that must be within sight of each other, then begin a search.

>>2714185>>2714168The groups wander while in sight of each other. A member of the rightmost group makes the rest grind into a halt. He signals to some footsteps on the ground, tiny as a child's, but deformed. The eldest whisper of the wood elves. Following the footsteps together, the warriors eventually find two lone feet, cut off from their owner. Their skin is a dark green and ragged and leathery, but they've not been there long. The cut seems rough and the blood still drips from the veins within.

The men begin to waver, the sight of the feet sending chills down their spine. They feel like they're in the middle of an ambush. The eldest must take a decision.

>Reassure the men and follow the blood trail.>Bring the expedition to a halt and explore the surrounding area then return home.>Retreat cautiously and in formation, return home.

>>2714243+1. We should prepare for ambushes next time.>>2714163>The Ulveti are concerned about this, and wishes to make sure that the expedition comes back with something to show for their work in order to appease the rest of the clans.Shame we can't fulfill this.

The warriors begin their retreat back home, the trudge through the woods is slow and demoralizing, everything looks the same, and they can't shake off the feeling of being watched at every step. Most have unsheathed their swords and are as ready for a fight as they can be.

Eventually, some men realize that they've been walking for too long. They should've started spotting some tree stumps by then.

Lost. The men go into a short, angry panic as they understand their hours of folly. They reorganize and ask for orders. Some seem weary from the march.

>Try to return to the place where the feet were found, mark spots, we'll get home.>Divide the band in groups again and search for hints that may lead back home around our position. Keep a look on each other.>Rest for a while.

>>2714443>>Try to return to the place where the feet were found, mark spots, we'll get home.The most reliable way of figuring out a space or illusion spell. Staying here for too long may be a bad idea.

>>2714453>>2714462>>2714471As drowsiness settles into many, the eldest orders for a thirty minute rest. 3 warriors seem to come down with a fatigue due to the heat and the stress. They can walk, but will barely be any good in a fight.

The rest are primed and ready after the short pause. Morale seems to have gotten better.

As they get up, they feel ready to trudge on through the forest.

>Try to return to the place where the feet were found, mark spots, we'll get home.>Divide the band in groups again and search for hints that may lead back home around our position. Keep a look on each other.

>>2714554>>2714569The march continues on, trekking through the woods. The men eventually reach the back to where the two feet were, but only a puddle of dark red blood remains. As they reach it, the three men who were fatigued slump onto the ground one by one. Their exhaustion overtaking them.

Another three will have to carry the men and lead them back home. The veterans mention that the young men's heads are burning, they are feverish. They need proper rest and medicine soon.

Sighs and bad looks come throughout the group. The journey will have to be slow and cautious from now on.

>Split up into three groups, all within eyesight, in order to find more hints on how to get back home. >Stay together, we might still be watched by others.

>>2714635Finally, after a few minutes of march, the veterans are able to find a perfect trail that was left by a group of our men when they came into the forest. It is definetly subtle, and it took a keen eye and some luck to spot it, but it allowed the men to return to the village unscathed.

As they arrive, the woodcutters panic at the sight of three men down, though they are quickly reassured that it was merely fatigue from the forest scouting. No one is yet told about the sight of those deformed, cut off feet.

The veterans order the novice warriors to take the incapacitated men to a home and care for, which the young promptly do. Meanwhile, they head towards the hut of the patriarchs to report.

---GAME END---

On the topic of session announcements:

I tried making three twitter accounts and each time twitter bugged me about a phone number, so I tilted and didn't try again.

Here's the link to the discord again:

https://discord.gg/kJyKSzC

Next session will be announced both in this thread and in the discord tomorrow or tuesday. The session should be within this month and last a weekend.